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HOW HE STARTED THE BUSINESS On this episode, we have Evan Lanterman of Lanterman Woodworks. Evan’s college education was in Industrial design and he wanted to have hands-on experience after he finished his schooling. He started out by building timber frames, general contracting and the carpentry business. In 2011, he slabbed a tree that had come down at a nearby park and this turned out to a game changer for him. After opening the tree up, he discovered a new way of working with wood. He obviously didn’t want to waste the products and this is how he shifted from the type of work that he was doing. At the moment he’s focusing on ways to utilize the mill and the material that comes from it to create furniture although he minimally still does residential carpentry. PRODUCT AND SERVICES Currently, Evan is focused on building pieces through his creativity hoping clients will be impressed and will buy them from him. He has a network of local designers and a few homeowners that he’s been working for over the years, of whom he hopes will refer him to other clients. His products include cabinets, tables, desks, and shelving units. He’s thrilled by the idea of free-standing objects as they're easily portable. BUSINESS MARKETING Most of his business comes from referrals and word of mouth mainly from his clients and friends in the design industry. However, he’s striving to market himself a little bit more through Instagram and is also positioning his website to be able to receive orders. PASSION He loves seeing the end product of his work and to experience the joy of a customer. Not only is this mutually beneficial, but also one of the best feelings to have as a business owner. CHALLENGES OF RUNNING THE BUSINESS Lately, the hardest part of running the business has been managing time. He’s the sole person in the business and he’s always receiving calls, marketing, creating products, and interacting with clients. It's becoming overwhelming but he’s trying hard to balance them all. 5 TOP TOOLS ESSENTIAL FOR THE BUSINESS His number one tool would be proper eyewear protection. He’s got a Bluetooth eyewear that keeps him occupied both mentally and physically. The second tool would be for dust collection and dust management and in the admin sector, the spreadsheet is really important in his business. The last two tools would be stable internet and have active social media accounts. FUTURE PROJECTS Evan hopes to start making live edge products from the material he’s been drying up over the past few years. He’s quite motivated and excited to get his hands on this project. LINKS MENTIONED Email: evan@lantermanwoodworks.com Website: Lantermanwoodworks.com Instagram: @lantermanwoodworks